It happened in the small village of
San Sebastian of Garabandal, in the Santander province of
northern Spain, near the Picos de Europa mountains, when
the Archangel Michael appeared to Conchita Gonzalez,
Maria Delores Mazon, Jacinta Gonzales and Maria Cruz
Gonzales. He told them that on July 2nd, 1961,
they would see Our Lady.

"Our Lady manifested herself as Our
Lady of Carmel," appearing to the girls many times in
1961 and 1962, sometimes several times a week. Not all of
the girls received a message, even if present, resulting
in slightly differing versions of the messages.
Ultimately, the girls were told of four extraordinary
events, each a specific event occurring at different
times in a distinct sequence: The Warning, The Miracle, a
Permanent Sign, and a Terrible Chastisement.

THE
WARNING

Conchita wrote: "The warning comes
directly from God and will be visible to the whole world
and from any place where anyone may happen to be. It will
be like the revelation of our sins and it will be seen
and felt by everyone, believer and unbeliever alike,
irrespective of whatever religion he may belong to. It
will be seen and felt in all parts of the world by every
person."

"It will happen in the sky; no one can
prevent it from happening. We will even prefer to be dead
rather than to pass through this Warning. It will not
kill us. It will be a �correction� of our conscience.
It will cause great fear and will make us reflect
within ourselves on the consequences of our own personal
sins. It will be like a warning of the punishment to
come. In this way the world will be offered a means
of purification to prepare itself for the extraordinary
grace of the Great Miracle."

Jacinta was told by Our Blessed Mother
"that the warning would come when conditions were at
their worst." The date was not revealed to the
visionaries, however Maria Delores does know the year,
and she said that The Miracle will happen within one year
after The Warning.

Conchita has also stated, "The
Warning, like the Chastisement, is a fearful thing for
the good as well as the wicked. It will draw the good
closer to God and warn the wicked that the end of times
are coming." "It would be like fire. It will not burn our
flesh but we will feel it bodily and interiorly." It
seems to be associated with an astronomical phenomena,
"like two stars...that crash and make a lot of noise, and
a lot of light...but they don�t fall. It�s not going
to hurt usbut we�re going to see it and, in that
moment, we�re going to see our consciences."

In describing The Warning, Jacinta has
said, "The Warning is something that is seen in the air,
everywhere in the world and is immediately transmitted
into the interior of our souls. It will last a very
little time, but it will seem a very long time
because of its effect within us."

Conchita has stated she has been given
the date of The Miracle by the Blessed Virgin and will
announce the date eight days before it is to occur.
Remember, though, that The Miracle follows The Warning by
up to a year.

The quotations above are the only
original source material for "The Warning," and any
attempt to extrapolate or expand upon them is fraught
with danger. I have highlighted in bold type the
most prominent aspects of The Warning.

THE
MIRACLEand THE
SIGN

A great miracle will occur in the late
winter or early spring within one year after The
Warning.

Conchita has clearly said that Our
Lady has promised a great miracle in Garabandal so that
all may believe the apparitions and be obedient to the
message. "As the punishment which we deserve for the sins
of the world is great, the miracle must also be a great
one, for the world needs it." It will occur on a Thursday
on the feast day of a saint devoted to the Eucharist, at
8:30 in the evening, and will last for about a quarter of
an hour. It will also coincide with a great event in the
Church. The sick who come to Garabandal on that day will
be cured, unbelievers will be converted. There will
remain a permanent sign in "The Pines" where the
apparitions occurred as proof of Our Lady�s tremendous
love for all her children.

Conchita said, "The sign that will
remain will be able to be seen, photographed and
televised, but it will not be able to be touched. It will
appear clearly that it is something not of this world,
but of god."

Conchita wrote some time ago, "The
Blessed Virgin will not allow me to reveal the nature of
The Miracle, although I already know it. Neither can I
reveal the date of it, which I know, until eight days
before it is to happen."

THE
CHASTISEMENT

The Chastisement is conditioned upon
the response of humanity to the warning and the
miracle.

Conchita has written: "I cannot reveal
what kind of punishment it is except that it will be a
result of the direct intervention of god, which makes it
more terrible and fearful than anything we can imagine.
It will be less painful for innocent babies to die a
natural death than for those babies to die because of the
punishment. All Catholics should go to confession before
the punishment and the others should repent of their
sins. When I saw it (the punishment), I felt a great fear
even though at the same time I was seeing Our Blessed
Mother. The punishment, if it comes, will come after the
miracle."

The Bishop of Santander issued a
letter in October, 1996, indicating that the events at
Garabandal were NOT of supernatural origin, and thus they
remain without imprimatur of the Church. It should be
noted, however, that on August 8, 1961, Father Luis Marie
Andreu, a 38 year old Spanish Jesuit Priest, was among
the spectators at The Pines when he was heard to say,
"Miracle, Miracle!" He was shown the coming Great
Miracle, and the children heard Our lady say to him, "You
will soon be with me."

Later that night, Fr. Andreu said:
"Oh! What a sweet and lovely mother we have in
heaven...how happy I am...what a favor The Blessed Virgin
has bestowed on me. How fortunate that we are to have a
mother like her in heaven! There is no reason to fear the
supernatural life. The girls have given us an example of
how we must act with the Blessed Virgin. There is no
doubt in my mind that the things involving the girls are
true. Why should the Blessed Virgin have chosen us? This
is the happiest day of my life." He then bowed his head
and died.